Roommates
The roommate question, answered both ways.
Sharing works and it saves money. It also creates a set of obligations worth understanding before you sign, because you cannot unsign them easily.
How people actually find roommates here
Three routes cover almost everyone. Your own network - university lists, employer channels, friends of friends - is the highest-trust and the slowest. Roommate platforms and city-wide listing boards are the fastest and carry the most risk, because you are assessing a stranger from a profile. Taking a room in an existing share sits in between: the household is already formed, and you are either the right fit or a temporary one.
Whichever route, the useful work is the same. Meet in person or on video. See the actual room. Ask how the current bills are split and look at a real one. Ask how long each person intends to stay.
The questions worth asking before anyone signs
Most roommate arrangements do not fail on cleanliness. They fail on money and on timing.
- Whose name is on the lease, and am I on it too?
- If someone leaves early, who covers their share until a replacement is found?
- How are utilities split, and can I see the last three months?
- What happens to the deposit when one person moves out?
- How long does everyone intend to stay?
- Is subletting allowed by the landlord, in writing?
The part that surprises people: joint and several liability
On most shared leases, each tenant is liable for the whole rent, not just their portion. If a roommate stops paying or leaves, the landlord can pursue whoever remains for the full amount. That is what joint and several means, and it is standard rather than unusual.
It is also the reason a share that is cheaper on paper is not always cheaper in practice. The saving is real. So is the exposure, and it is worth pricing honestly rather than discovering in month seven.
The alternative, put fairly
The other option is to skip the category. A private room rented from a building carries no co-signer, no joint liability, and no dependence on somebody else paying on time. At Seton Residence that starts at $525 a week for a Deluxe Room, with utilities, Wi-Fi and weekly housekeeping included, and the terms are weekly rather than annual.
You still get people. Sixty-one rooms, a shared kitchen, a lounge and a courtyard mean the building is not a set of sealed boxes. What you do not get is a stranger's credit risk attached to your name.
If two of you are moving together and want to share, the King Studio can be twinned - $745 a week between two people is $372.50 each, en-suite, in the largest room in the building. Sharing by choice, without the lease mechanics.
In this part of the guide
Common questions
- What does joint and several liability mean on a shared lease?
- Each tenant is legally responsible for the entire rent, not just their share. If a roommate leaves or stops paying, the landlord can pursue the remaining tenants for the full amount.
- Is renting a private room cheaper than sharing an apartment?
- Not always on the headline number. A private room here starts at $525 a week including all utilities, Wi-Fi and housekeeping, with no deposit on a shared lease, no furniture to buy and no exposure if a housemate leaves. Whether it is cheaper depends on how you price that exposure.
- Can two of us share a room here?
- The King Studio can be twinned for two residents at $745 a week in total. It is the only room type that can be shared.
- Do I need a co-signer?
- No. You rent from the building rather than joining a lease, so there is no co-signer and no joint liability with other residents.
The rooms
Weekly rates, all utilities and housekeeping included. Seven-night minimum.
The rest of the guide
Enquire
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Send the dates and the room you want. You will get availability and a full quote back, normally the same working day.
- Phone
- 1-929-630-2212
- Address
- 144 East 40th Street, New York, NY 10016